Special counsel Jack Smith has ruffled feathers again in Trump World with his latest legal move in his ongoing attempt to jail former President Donald Trump for the rest of his life.
Specifically, Smith wants to disqualify a lawyer who is representing a Trump ally in the Justice Department’s classified documents case against the former president.
“Walt Nauta, a Trump employee who was charged with crimes related to the alleged mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, is being represented by attorney Stanley Woodward,” The Western Journal reported.
“The DOJ has asked for a hearing with U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, claiming Woodward might have conflicts of interest in the case,” the outlet continued, citing a report by Axios.
According to Axios, the attorney, Stanley Woodward, Nauta’s lawyer, “has represented at least seven other individuals who have been questioned in connection with the investigation,” said a DOJ filing with Cannon, claiming he has “divided loyalties.”
The DOJ has expressed particular concern about Woodward’s representation of two other Trump employees, along with his prior advisory role to a third employee, whom federal prosecutors suspect might possess information that could potentially “incriminate” Nauta.
“All three of these witnesses may be witnesses for the government at trial, raising the possibility that Mr. Woodward might be in the position of cross-examining past or current clients,” says the filing.
As such, a hearing on the matter is “appropriate given that an attorney who cross-examines a former or present client inherently encounters divided loyalties,” the DOJ filing argued.
Axios noted further:
Trump, Nauta, and Mar-a-Lago maintenance worker Carlos De Oliveira are charged in the classified documents case — one of three indictments the former president faces.
A superseding indictment filed last week alleges that Nauta and De Oliveira asked a Mar-a-Lago worker in the summer of 2022 to “delete security camera footage” at Trump’s Florida residence to prevent the footage from being provided to a federal grand jury.
Both Trump, who’s due to be arraigned on federal charges in the Jan. 6 indictment on Thursday, and Nauta have pleaded not guilty in the case. De Oliveira has yet to enter a plea.
Trump was arraigned in a D.C. courtroom on Thursday on four felony counts stemming from alleged actions that took place ahead of the Capitol riot.
Axios reported that while Woodward has yet to respond to the Justice Department’s request, the filing says that he “has indicated that as a general matter, he does not oppose” his clients being told about the matter. Also, the filing says he has asked for a chance to respond.
Last week, Cannon set May 20, 2024, as the date for Trump’s classified documents trial.
“U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon appeared to split the difference between prosecutors’ request for a December 2023 trial date and Trump’s request to postpone the trial until after the November 2024 election,” Politico reported.
Fort Pierce will host the first pretrial hearing in the case involving Trump’s classified documents. After the nearly two-hour hearing in federal court in Fort Pierce, Florida, where attorneys for Trump pushed for an indefinite delay of a trial date, Judge Cannon said she would issue a written order “promptly.”
Trump’s attorneys argued they needed more time to prepare for what they characterize as a challenging case involving a substantial body of evidence. They contend that the former president won’t be given a fair trial before the 2024 election, where he is overwhelmingly the GOP frontrunner.
“Prosecutors have proposed that the trial begins in December, saying the case is not complex and there’s no need for a lengthy delay. Prosecutor David Harbach told the judge that Trump’s legal team has repeatedly suggested he should be treated differently because he’s running for president,” Market Watch reported.
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